Mass Effect 1. An arranged marriage

**Author's Note: Hello fellow fanfic readers, I'm back with a new idea! This is Downtime. It's a series of short one-shots that explains the downtime of Shepard and her crew whether on the Normandy or Citadel. Events are in chronological order so you don't get confused. Anyway enough explanations. Let's move on into the story!**

Downtime

Chapter 1: An arranged marriage

_Normandy SR-2, orbiting Sur'Kesh_

It's always good to see my old crew again. My friends and the people I keep close to me help keep me going in this war. Seeing Mordin and Wrex alive and kicking really helps me. I've seen enough death in my time. Hell, I died myself and then came back thanks to Cerberus. Speaking of Cerberus I remember all the conversations I had with Mordin back with Cerberus. I would listen attentively as he told me about his work with the genophage and his experience with patter songs. Those were good times. And Wrex? To be honest, I've missed having him on board. On the old SR-1 I used to love listening to his stories about his mercenary work. I'm not sure what fascinated me about those topics. Maybe because I was a Spacer and life on ships wasn't tough. Sometimes, but not always.

And then there's Eve – the female krogan. Mordin told me I should talk to her to get a different perspective on the krogan. I did in fact and I have to say, the females are a lot different compared to the males. Eve is so calm and gentle. Although I'm sure she could kill someone as brutally as a male. She told me she's glad to see that humans treat our women with respect and my people have put a lot of responsibility on me. I told her no more that her people put on her. Then she told me after this war we could show the men how it's done. Women can kick ass too. Hell, I do that practically every day.

After catching up with Mordin and chatting with Eve, I wandered out of the med-bay and into the mess. I found Garrus talking with Liara at the table. I joined them.

"Shepard" Liara said with a warm smile "Come and join us"

I picked a seat next to Liara but across from Garrus.

"So, what's going on?" I asked

"We were discussing the mission on Sur'kesh and Eve" Liara explained "Eve is quite different that most krogan".

"She is. The female are so much…calmer that the males. Maybe it's just because her immune system is weak and Mordin doesn't want her moving around" I said

Liara nodded "Possibly. Still it's nice to have her on board. I really hope with can pull this off. Curing the genophage I mean".

"Well I on the other hand have never even seen a female krogan before" Garrus said.

Liara and I nodded in agreement.

"Well I better get back to it. Nice talking with you Garrus. See you around Shepard" Liara said.

"Have fun" I called after her.

Liara turned and threw me a smile. I turned to Garrus and he said "So Shepard. They say female krogan have a thing for guys with scars".

I smiled "So I've heard".

"I've got a few myself, here's hoping nobody's planning an arranged marriage to cement this deal" Garrus continued.

"Hey" I said "I was the first woman to fall for your scars. If you're gonna have an arranged marriage, it better be with me"

"I wouldn't dream of it being with anybody else" Garrus assured.

I reached across the table and took hold of one of his hands. "Good".

Garrus gently squeezed my hand and ran his thumb across my fingers.

"So tell me what you know about Eve" he said.

"You sure?" I asked "It's a long story. She told me a lot about the female clan and such".

"Why not. I've got nothing better to do and I like spending time with _you_" Garrus said

I sighed "Alright. Let's start with the fact Eve is a shaman. It's why we don't know her real name…"

**And that's it for my first chapter. I'll try to update every week-end but no guarantees. High school is really hectic! Drop me a review and thanks for reading!**


	2. Name in the stars

**A/N: Hello Readers I'm back with another chapter for Downtime. So like I said before, updates every week-end. I just finished a load of homework and school only started like what 2 weeks ago? Anyway here's the next chapter!**

Downtime

Chapter 2: Name in the stars

_Normandy SR-2, traveling between systems_

"You know me well enough to fill in the blanks, Liara" I said to the young asari. Liara was here in my cabin showing me a time capsule that she had created in case we failed at defeating the Reapers. She wanted my opinion on my entry in the time capsule. I decided I wanted her to choose what to say about the savior of the galaxy. I don't like the spotlight sometimes.

"Are you sure" Liara asked.

"Yeah. I'd like it to be your call" I admitted.

Liara smiled, grateful and somewhat honored that I let her pick.

"Alright. Let's begin with the fact that Earth's most famous officer was born and raised in space. Shepard could handle any weapon, the Alliance had never seen a deadlier solider. She was a soldier and a leader, one who made peace where she could" Liara paused briefly "And it was a privilege to know her".

"Careful this doesn't sound like a diary" I warned

"I can't help myself. You're a good friend, Shepard" Liara said while sitting down next to me.

"You've been there for me to, Liara" I told her.

And it's true. Being a soldier my only defense are my guns. Liara and her powerful biotics have saved my life more times than I can remember. Even back in the day hunting Saren, Liara was a lifesaver.

"No I haven't. I wish I could've joined you back on Illium" Liara admitted.

I nudged her with my shoulder "You made up for it"

That earned me a smile for the blue woman "Well I suppose I did just write your name in the stars" Liara said triumphantly.

She leaned back against the couch while we admired the small little device in front of us as it sparkled with light and images of its information.

"I really appreciate what you did here Liara" I said after a while.

"I thought it was a good idea" Liara said.

"When did you start it?" I asked curiously.

"Not long after I got word that the Reapers hit Earth. The idea hit me in face like somebody had slapped me. I worked on it during what little free-time I had back on Mars. Once Cerberus attacked I kept it locked away. I didn't get to work on it again until I got onto the Normandy. I just finished it recently. I wanted to make sure future generations knew about the Reapers in case we…" Liara stopped short.

"Failed?" I finished for her.

Liara hung her head, not wanting to admit the truth.

"Yes"

I put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay. In the beginning I thought we'd fail because nobody listened to my warnings. But now nobody can deny the Reapers exist. We'll win this" I said truthfully.

"Without a doubt" Liara said "I just hope you understand why I decided to create this".

"Of course. It's brilliant. I would've never thought of it myself without you" I said

"Thank you Shepard. That means a lot" Liara said softly.

I smiled and nodded at her. At that moment Liara stood up and collected the device in her hands. She turned to me and said "I'll keep this some place safe in case I need to use it"

"Good. Wouldn't want it damaged" I said

"Well I'll leave you now. Thanks again, Shepard" Liara said.

"No problem. See you later Liara"

She showed herself out. I watched until my door closed behind her. I returned to some work I had been doing before. We were currently heading to the Citadel. After the visit, I'd be returning to Tuchanka to cure the genophage. Curing the genophage. Never thought I'd see the day. This would be another defining moment in history, and I'd be there to witness it.

**Leave a review and thanks again for reading. Another chapter is coming soon!**


	3. Ashley

**A/N: I'm back with a longer chapter today! Hope you all enjoy it!**

Downtime

Chapter 3: Ashley

_Normandy SR-2, orbiting Tuchanka_

I always thought rewriting history would have serious impacts on the future but I believe this future won't be bloody. Curing the genophage after more than 1000 years. Incredible. I remember learning about it back in school. I wondered if anybody planned on curing it one day. That "anybody" was me. Who would of thought, I, Sabrina Shepard cured the genophage…with the help of some friends of course. This would be all over the news. I'm glad that it will. Since this war started, curing the genophage was the happiest thing I've seen in a long time. I'd be remembered by this in the years ahead.

In the war room, Primarch Victus agreed to give me full support of the turian fleet once it was time to hit the Reapers on Earth. He also gave us an engineering team to help with the construction of the Crucible aka Reaper doomsday device. Garrus was given the responsibility of coordinating the Crucible team. With the alliance secured, Victus departed. I let out a sigh and leaned against my war terminal. Garrus approached me.

"I'll start managing turian support right away, Shepard. You must be exhausted. Mordin dying…it can't be easy" he said.

It's true. In all this victory, we lost a friend today. Mordin gave his life in order to release the cure. I could have stopped hime and let the "fake" cure be released but I couldn't risk losing krogan support. I have the turians. I have the krogan. It's the salarians decision to join us or not.

"I'll sleep when I'm dead" I shot back.

"We both know you need a clear head to win a war. There's no room for mistakes here. You should catch some shut-eye" Garrus explained.

He had a point but I didn't want to stop. Every minute wasted doing nothing, the Reapers continued well…Reaping or harvesting. I was about to say something but Garrus beat me to it.

"Besides" he said "I know where you sleep. We'll wake you if anything comes up".

I sighed again and gave into his words.

"If you insist" I said reluctantly.

I pushed away from the war terminal and sauntered out of the war room. Once I reached the elevator, sleep hit me like a train. It came to my attention I hadn't slept since Mars. Living in space really screws up the time, doesn't it?

In my cabin I delicately sat on the bed. I hated how hard it was. It looked like a bed with a soft, feathery mattress but it felt like sleeping on top of old twentieth century hard cover books. But right now it felt like feathers. I laid down, closed my eyes and let sleep take over.

Darkness surrounded me. I heard the faint sound of an ocean and the warmth of sun on my back. It vaguely reminded me of Virmire. I opened my eyes to find myself lying down in a dense forest. The ocean faded. The warmth turned to an icy shiver. A familiar voice then spoke.

"Get up, Skipper".

Skipper. There was only one person I knew who ever called me that. I turned my head and got my answer.

"Ashley" I said softly.

She looked different. Her hair was no longer tied back in a bun. Instead her hair was totally loose, brushing just past her shoulders. Her eyes were defined with darker makeup. She wore a white, strapless dress that stopped just above her knees. No shoes. I never thought of Ashley to be the dress type but then again this was a dream. After I said her name Ashley extended a hand. I took it. I swore I could feel her skin against mine. Once on my feet Ashley took off, jogging away from me.

"Ashley wait!" I called after her.

She kept going. So I followed. She led me all around the forest. I heard whispers from passed crew mates. Mordin and Ashley whispered my name and their last words to me. I continued to follow Ash until she disappeared behind a tree. Literally. I stood there dumbfounded for a second until I heard a small giggle behind me. I turned around fast to catch Ash running again. I took off too.

"Ashley! Stop!" I called to her. No reply.

"Ashley. Where are you going?" Nothing.

Up ahead I saw something…or somebody actually. It appeared to be a young child. I came to a stop as I watched Ashley scoop the child up into her arms and spin around with the child who grasped her. Eventually she stopped and faced me. I got a look at the child's face. My jaw slightly dropped. It was the young boy from the dream I had after Mars. The boy and Ashley smiled at me. I didn't.

"We'll be waiting Skipper. We all are" Ashley said.

What? What did she mean by that?

"I don't understand" I said.

Ashley didn't respond. She stood there looking and smiling at me, holding the boy like he was her own son. I watched in horror as the hauntingly hot flames engulfed them and turned them both to ash. Then the same thing happened to me. Everything went black again. Just before I woke up I heard Ashley's voice again.

_Death closes all,_

_But something 'ere the end;_

_Some work of noble note may yet be done;_

_Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods._

I forced awake by the nightmare. Same one I had had after Mars. I didn't check the time so I had no idea how long I'd slept. My hands were shaking and I felt sick so I hurried to the bathroom. I repeatedly splashed my face with cold water. The feeling of nausea left my throat. I clutched the edges of the sink and looked into my reflection. God, I really did look like hell. Garrus must be worried. A knock at my door made me look away from my god-awful reflection.

"It's open" I called out.

"Shepard I need to tell you something" A familiar flanged voice said. A voice that belonged to Garrus.

"Alright" I said looking back into my mirror.

Garrus didn't enter the bathroom. He spoke through the closed door. "Are you okay?"

"Thinking of some friends who aren't around thanks to this war" I explained with a hint of anger in my voice.

"That's thanks to the Reapers, not you" Garrus said. "Thinking about anybody we knew?"

"Ashley back on Virmire. She gave her life to help us stop Sovereign. I wonder what she'd think fighting whole fleet of Reapers" I expressed.

"I never really knew her but if I had to guess, Ash would call it target practice" Garrus said.

I smiled at his words. "Yeah. Sounds like her".

I released my grip on the sink and opened to door. Garrus was waiting.

"You said you had something to tell me?" I recalled.

"Liara sent me to tell you the salarian councilor has an urgent matter to discuss" Garrus explained.

A bit of rage built up into me. Everybody knows how much I _love_playing politician.

"Let me guess, he called the comm. room?" I asked but already knew the answer.

Garrus nodded "I have a feeling the council is taking the Crucible project seriously now. I'll meet you downstairs".

I started to leave, but Garrus stepped in front of me. He looked worried.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked.

Honestly I wasn't but I didn't want him to worry about me right now.

"I'm fine, really" I lied.

Garrus didn't look convinced, but he didn't argue. He moved out of the way so I could pass. We rode the elevator together in silence.

Garrus was waiting ouside the comm. room once I finished speaking with the salarian councilor. He looked at me like I expected to say something.

"Were you eavesdropping?" I aksed.

"Hardly. You know how much I dislike the council" Garrus said.

"I know. He complained about me curing the genophage" I said rolling my eyes.

"That's the only reason he called?" Garrus asked.

"No. He's concerned about Udina. He's transferring large amounts of money for unknown reasons. The councilor wants my help" I explained.

Garrus took a moment to think about what I'd said.

"I've got a bad feeling about this" he said after a few moments.

I nodded. "Tell James to get ready. You too. I want you both with me when I go to meet the councilor"

"You got it"


	4. Still Friends

**A/N: My computer was screwed up for a while and I had major writer's block but I finally got some inspiration! And my computer is fixed! :) **

Downtime

Chapter 4: Still Friends

_Normandy SR-2, Citadel_

Shore leave is a wonderful thing. Before we headed off to meet with the quarians, I had everybody get some shore leave on the Citadel. What a good call that was. Everbody was relieved to get out and enjoy the view on the presidium or have a few drinks at Purgatory. For a while, I even dared myself to forget about the war just for a couple of hours. It would always be in the back of my mind but right now I needed to focus on my friendships with my crew and my relationship with Garrus. Even with everything going on, we decided to make it official. I am so happy now. I think this is the happiest I've ever been since I ran into Garrus back on Menae, and he was alive. It feels good to have someone to fight for. If I'm going to win this war, I need somebody to come back to.

I met up with Joker and EDI at Purgatory. The two had – believe or not – hooked up as well. I'm happy for them. They seemed like a good match from the very beginning. I also had a drink with Cortez. We toasted to our friendship and how I helped him through his guilt of losing Robert all those months ago. I'm proud of him. I know maybe one day, he'll find somebody again who'll make him just as happy.

Liara and I chatted on the presidium about how much it reminded her of home and of her mother. For once, Liara admitted she missed Benezia. I asked what her mother was like. Liara explained she was confident and kind. She loved to wear the colour yellow and Liara thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world. I could imagine it. Liara and her mother at the park in Armali beside her house. Benezia in a yellow dress and a young Liara next to her, digging for ruins and reading history books. It made me smile. Liara has been such a good friend to me. She wished we could spend more time together like this. I told I'd like it a lot.

I visited Kaidan as well while on the Citadel. He took me out for lunch which I considered thoughtful of him. Everything was going fine until…he brought up our relationship. Sorry, past relationship. He told me he understood why I cheated on him but, he still loved me. I had to slightly roll my eyes at him. Kaidan was a little too forgiving sometimes. He told me he wanted to start over and make it real because he still loved me. I had to break the news to him about Garrus. He took it well, all things considered. In another life I told him. If we won this war I told him no doubt you'll find a girl who'll never break your heart. I apologized that things didn't work out and instead agreed to buy lunch for us. I figured it was the least I could do to make it up to him.

Once I had returned to the Normandy, I headed straight to my cabin to change out of the dress I had chosen to wear. I wanted to look nice and believe or not, when I was younger I loved to wear dresses. Whenever my mother had shore leave on the Citadel she'd bring me back a new dress, which was rare because our tours on ships could last up to a year. Freshly changed, I returned to the CIC to plot a course to the Far Rim. That was our meeting spot with the quarian admirals.

I plotted the course and was about to check up on everybody when Traynor stopped me. She told me Kaidan had been acting, somber since coming back from the Citadel. She suggested I speak to him.

"Did he say anything?" I asked.

"No ma'am. I just happened to notice he had "depressed" attitude once coming back" Traynor explained.

"Thanks for the heads-up. I'll talk to him" I said.

"Anytime Commander".

Up on deck three, I headed down to the Starboard Observation room where Kaidan stayed. I casually walked in. I found Kaidan straight in front of me, looking out the window at millions of stars.

"Kaidan? Are you alright" I asked softly.

"Not really. I think you can guess why" Kaidan replied. He defiantly sounded upset. I approached and stood next to him.

"This is about me breaking up with you" I said, already knowing the answer.

"How'd you guess?' Kaidan asked sarcastically.

I glared at him "Kaidan. I really don't need your attitude right now. I told you things couldn't work right now. What else do you want from me?"

Kaidan sighed "I still want to make _us_ work".

"I can't Kaidan. I'm with Garrus. You know that. I don't love you the way I did before. That happened _three years_ ago Kaidan. I've moved on" I explained.

He didn't reply. Kaidan just continued to stare out the window. So I decided to make things clear once and for all.

"When I saw on Horizon for the first time in two years, I was overwhelmed. I thought the Collectors had taken you. But they didn't. You were alive and right in front of me. But then you started going on about me and Cerberus and how you couldn't believe me anymore and how I never contacted you. You left me. I gave you the option to join and you turned me away. I'd lost the one thing in the galaxy I cared about the most. That's why I fell for Garrus because he was there for me. He was worried about me. Garrus didn't care whether I worked for Cerberus or not, as long as I watched them. You ruined our relationship by leaving me on Horizon, Kaidan" I finally finished explaining.

Kaidan took a deep breath and slowly sighed. I swear he was holding back tears. I wouldn't blame him to be honest. I'd just laid a lot on top of him.

"Alright Shepard. You've made your point. I get it now. Like you said before, in another life we would be together" Kaidan confessed.

"Good" I said. "I'm sorry I laid all that on you but I hope you understand"

"I do. Really" Kaidan confirmed.

"But understand this" I said.

Kaidan faced me. I slowly wrapped myself around him in the form of a hug. I felt him return it by placing his hands on my waist.

"Part of me will always care about you Kaidan. Deep down inside, somewhere, I still love you. It just didn't work out the way you wanted and I'm sorry for that" I said softly.

"I know. Thank you Shepard. That means a lot" Kaidan whispered.

I pulled myself out of the hug and looked into his eyes. Kaidan leaned over and gently kissed me on the cheek. I blushed.

"Friends?" he asked.

"Friends" I confirmed.


	5. Remember When

Downtime

Chapter 5: Remember When

_Normandy SR-2, near Rannoch_

It was a long day. I had entered the world of the Geth consensus to purge a Reaper code. It was an absolutely incredible experience to explore the consensus. I am an organic, not a machine yet somehow I was able to enter. Well, thanks to Legion I was able to enter. They monitored "Project Overlord" and perfected it so I wouldn't become some human-VI crossbreed or something. I witnessed the Geth's history within the consensus. It was amazing, but tiring like I'd said. I couldn't wait to return to the Normandy and just take a breather. So much for that though. My short breather ended with me in bed with Garrus. Let me explain.

Once I had returned to the Normandy I went up to my cabin to relax. I took a shower to help relax my muscles and then I figured I'd look over reports since that was always something I had to do. I know it's still work but I find it somewhat relaxing to know that everybody is still alive while fighting the Reapers. So after my shower I read the fleet reports and the status of Reapers on occupied worlds. I didn't get far. I heard my door open with that soft hiss they make. I turned around to find Garrus.

"Hey you" I greeted "Need something?"

"No but I think you should take a break" Garrus suggested.

"Well I kinda am" I said.

"You're working" he said

"I find work relaxing" I said calmly.

"You find _work_ relaxing?" Garrus repeated.

"Yes I do. Not all work but some. Right now I'm looking over fleet reports and Reaper progress. It's nice to know that people are still alive and fighting and the Reapers are taking tolls" I explained.

Garrus shrugged but still didn't look convinced.

"I still think you should take a break from your work Shepard. You just left the Geth consensus. You have to admit you've gotta be tired" Garrus said.

I sighed "I am but I no time. I need to rescue Admiral Koris after looking these over. Then I'll rest".

"You'll rest now Shepard" Garrus said with authority.

I gave him a look "Excuse me? Are you sassing your superior officer?"

"Correction: I'm sassing my girlfriend. You know you can't resist me" Garrus teased.

Garrus came in front of me, took the data-pad out of my hands and placed it on my desk. He then proceeded to wrap his arms around my waist.

"I'm guessing you have a different idea of relaxing" I whispered.

"Always" he said just before our lips touched.

The saying 'one thing leads to another' really fits what happened next. We got undressed, I found myself on my back on my bed with Garrus on top of me, and finally found myself curled into him, drawing invisible circles on his plates. I think we were both relaxed after our…let's call it a 'sparring' secession. We then started talking about when we first met each other and how we ended up together.

"Remember when we first met?" I asked Garrus

"I do. It was on the Citadel tower right? I was arguing with Pallin about getting more time to investigate Saren" Garrus recalled.

"Yeah. That didn't turn out too well huh" I said.

"Hmm yeah, not until you came along. I joined you and then we started hunting for Saren together" Garrus said

"We did. We made a hell of a team" I said

"We still do" Garrus pointed out"

"That we do Vakarian" I said with a smile.

"So tell me. When did you get feelings for me?" Garrus inquired.

"After you told me about Sidonis. I was so worried about you. I then realized I cared you just as much and wanted something more. It meant so much to me when you admitted you liked me too" I explained.

"That early? I wouldn't have never guessed" Garrus confessed.

"Love is a powerful emotion, one that is earned through trust and understanding" I said.

"Yes it is" Garrus agreed.

"When did you discover you liked me?" I asked.

"Well to be honest I've always admired you but who doesn't. You're such an incredible person Shepard. So selfless and charismatic, I've never seen anyone like you" Garrus said and I blushed. He continued "I didn't fully realize I cared about you until after you admitted you cared about me. It took a while to find my feelings for you. I even had help from a few friends"

"Like who?" I asked.

"Kasumi and Tali. Kasumi came to me actually. You know her and her cloaking. She apparently spied on me a few times. Eventually she inquired about you always coming down to see me. I told her about our connection and she helped me a little bit. Tali found out later when I was talking about you. She kinda guessed. It was the way I was describing you in mission we had gone on. I was being dramatic and Tali could tell there was more than admiration in my voice" Garrus explained.

"Hmm wow. I had no idea. Kasumi told me a few rumors going around the ship was that you really liked me. I didn't know it was _that_ much" I smiled.

"Hey you know that was all new to me back then. I'm glad things worked out between us because I really can't see myself with anybody but you Shepard. You mean so much to me. So much that I can't even show you" Garrus admitted.

I blushed and leant up, kissing him "Flatterer"

"I try" Garrus teased.

"You mean a lot to me too Garrus. Without you I don't think I could win this war. You're always there to cheer me up or help me relax, like right now" I admitted.

"Of course you need me. Who would watch your six?" Garrus said.

"Exactly" I said with a smile.

We stayed silent for a while, just enjoying each other company. I watched all the stars above us through my skylight. I noticed they seemed brighter over by Rannoch. I didn't know if that was true or not but they defiantly seemed brighter to me. I snuggled in closer to Garrus. He was running his talons through my hair. It felt nice. I wished we could have stayed in that moment forever but I still had an admiral to save on the planet's surface. Without him, the civilian fleet was threatening to leave and I needed them in order to take back Rannoch. I guess it was time to tell Garrus that.

"I need to get going now Garrus" I said quietly.

"I had a feeling you were going to say that" Garrus said.

"You can spend the night with me once I get back but for now I need to go. Admiral Koris can't fight forever".

"You promise?" Garrus asked.

"Absolutely. If you want you can even meet me here once I return" I suggested.

"Alright" Garrus agreed.

I pulled myself away from him and crawled out of bed. Garrus did the same. We both got dressed silently. Just when I was about to leave, Garrus stopped me.

"Be careful down there" he said.

"I will" I confirmed.

I headed to my door but stopped just before it. I turned around to Garrus.

"Garrus?" I called to him.

"Yeah?" he answered.

"I love you" I said.

"I love you too" he replied.

I gave him a small smile and headed into the elevator and down to the armory to prep myself for the rescue mission.


	6. Girls Night

**A/N: After extensive thinking, I finally got a idea for a new chapter.**

Downtime

Chapter 6: Girls Night

_Citadel_

The music inside Purgatory thundered throughout the room. It's not like it bothered me. Half the time on the battlefield all I'm hearing is explosions. I'm pretty sure I'll be deaf by the time this war is over. _Wonderful_. But I wasn't going to let that stop me from enjoying myself with close friends. Since returning Rannoch to the quarians I wanted to let off some steam. The lounge on the Normandy wasn't going to cut it this time. So I chose Purgatory. Then I got together with the girls. Liara, Tali, EDI and Traynor. I told them all to meet in Purgatory when they had a moment. It was celebration time.

"Hey Liara. About time you showed up" I greeted my asari friend.

"I know I'm sorry. I tried to get here earlier but I was doing some work that couldn't wait" Liara admitted.

"It's alright. Come join us at the table" I offered.

Liara did, sitting down at the round table. Tali was beside me on my right and Traynor was on my left. Liara was across from me and EDI was next to Liara. Everybody was here.

"So you guys ready to celebrate? I think what we just accomplished deserves some attention" I said.

My friends around me nodded and smiled. Tali seemed to be smiling even though I couldn't tell from behind the mask. I called over one of the serves and ordered a round of drinks. She smiled pleasantly and winked at me before whispering this round would be on the house. I shared the news with my friends and they too smiled.

"I'm sorry EDI. I'm glad you came out but I don't think you'll be able to drink anything" I said.

EDI made a motion with her hand as if to deflect what I'd said.

"Do not worry Shepard. I'm enjoying this company none the less" she said kindly.

I smiled and turned to Tali.

"So Tali. How does it feel to have your world back?" I asked.

"Yes do tell" Traynor said happily.

"Well I'm not sure actually. It's good I guess, knowing that I'll have a home to go back to once we defeat the Reapers" Tali explained.

"How will your people fare working with the geth?" Liara asked.

"I honestly have no idea. At the moment the geth are helping us. Remember what I told you Shepard, about the geth uploading into our suits and improving our immune systems?" Tali started.

I nodded at her as my reply. She continued with her thought explaining to the others about how the geth are helping but setting up housing and adapting power as well as uploading into quarian suits to help their immune systems.

"So even if the geth are helping us not only by making us healthier but also harassing the Reapers, I can't say if they'll stay this way in the future" Tali finished.

"They will" I reassured her. "Legion made sure of that. Their new found intelligence won't fail".

"I believe you Shepard but I'm sure you understand why I'm still unsure of the situation" Tali said.

"Of course" I replied, laying a hand on the young quarian's shoulder.

The server returned with our drinks, giving them out to everyone. She gave an odd look at EDI, wondering if she should give her a drink. I covered and said EDI wouldn't be having anything. I told her to give the drink to somebody and say it was on me. The server nodded and went on her way. I picked up my drink and held it out in front.

"To the quarians" I said.

"To the quarians" my friends chanted.

We clinked our glasses together and all took and sip. We shared a laugh after, smiling at each other. I think we all needed this. I wondered to myself about what the guys had decided to do. We split ourselves up to have our own way of celebrating. I claimed Purgatory. The guys probably ended up looking for another club on the Citadel. Or maybe they took the lounge on the Normandy? Either way, I hoped they were having fun.

After a couple hours and drinks and random chat about anything besides the war, Tali brought up the idea about hitting the dance floor. She sounded a tad tipsy, but that's the best time to dance. That way you won't remember a thing the next day. I was feeling that way myself but I was never a light weight when it came to drinking. I could still have a few more but I wasn't gonna push it tonight.

"I'm with Tali. You guys wanna come?" I asked my friends.

Liara exchanged a glance with Traynor. An embarrassed look crossed Traynor's face before she spoke.

"Well alright. But just for a bit" Traynor said reluctantly.

"I'm in" Liara said.

"EDI?" I asked.

"I'm not sure if I'll be able to match the abilities of dancing, but I will try" the AI replied.

With everybody on board, I lead them up to the dance floor. I helped Tali up the stairs. She had stumbled a few times already and I didn't want her to injure herself. Once we succeed in climbing the stairs Tali pulled away from my grasp and walked out onto the floor. I lost sight of her in the dark lighting and sea of people. Liara grabbed my arm and pulled me out next. Traynor was beside her. Both of them started dancing. It took me a moment to gather to the courage to dance. I've had many comments about that area, none good. I felt like leaving or watching from the side lines but Liara started dancing next to me.

"I'll cover you Shepard. Nobody will know" she whispered.

"Thanks" I whispered back.

Liara and Traynor danced around me, keeping me concealed from any eyes. It wasn't really necessary but that turned out to be all the encouragement I needed to dance along with them. For a while, I decided to not give a damn about what people would think.

I tired myself out after about 2 hours. We'd been out at Purgatory for about 4 hours. Tali had sobered up a little bit and could finally remember a few things. Liara was getting tired as well. EDI had left and I hadn't even noticed. And Traynor and stopped dancing a while ago. She really did mean she was only going to dance for a bit.

"Ready to get out of here?" I asked my friends.

"I think so" Liara said through a yawn.

Tali nodded along with Traynor.

"Alright then. Let's get out of here" I said.

My girls followed me out of the club and to the elevator. Liara needed to help Tali get there. She was already nursing a small headache. I keyed the elevator to head to Docking Bay D24 once everybody was inside.

"Despite my headache, I had a wonderful time Shepard. Thank you" Tali said.

"Me too. Thank you for the night" Liara said.

"And me. I appreciate it Commander" Traynor said with a smile.

"You're welcome. I'm glad you all had fun" I said.

"Wait. Where's EDI?" Traynor asked.

"I'm not sure. She left when I wasn't looking. Guess she had something more important to do" I suggested.

Traynor nodded and gave a little shrug. "Well hopefully she had a good time too".

The elevator arrived at the Docking Bay and we all filed out. Liara continued to help Tali while Traynor and I went on to the Normandy. I the airlock Traynor thanked me again before returning to her station. I waited in the airlock until Liara arrived with Tali.

"I'll take her to my office Shepard. She can lie down there until she feels better" Liara said.

"Good idea" I agreed.

I watched Liara take Tali to the elevator in the CIC. Once the doors slid shut I turned back to cockpit. I found Joker's piloting seat empty but EDI was present at her seat.

"EDI? When did you take off?" I asked.

EDI rose from her seat and came up to me. She appeared happy.

"I left because Joker needed my help on the Normandy for a moment. I was going to warn you about my departure but you were busy enjoying yourself" EDI explained.

"Oh. Well it's alright. Next time don't hesitate to tell me. I won't mind at all" I said.

"Very well Shepard" EDI replied.

"Did you have fun at the club?" I asked.

EDI smiled and nodded. "Yes I did. Thank you for brining me out Shepard".

"No problem EDI" I said, satisfied that she had a good time.


	7. Cold and Dark

Downtime

Chapter 7: Cold and Dark

_2181 Despoina _

Cold and dark. That's all I felt. I remembered what the other people had said when Leviathan had taken control of them. This is what it felt like. Cold and dark. Even though dark wasn't a feeling I could still _feel_ it. I wondered about where I was. It looked like I was standing on top of water, an ocean that went out as far as the eye could see. Leviathan had no yet let go of controlling me. I was getting fed up with that.

"Let me go Leviathan" I called out. "I can stop this war but only if you let me go".

No answer. The water rippled beneath me and the feeling of cold wouldn't leave. I looked left, the right, behind me and in front. Nobody. Not even the memories that Leviathan used in order to explain to me about its origin. He used memories of Ann and Dr. Bryson's assistant as well as the guy who we had thought was Garneau to explain to me about the Reapers and their purpose as well as some other questions I had. After that, the memories of those people vanished and I was left alone. I didn't know if Leviathan was going to continue to control me or it was still making its decision.

"You've seen this cycle. You know it's different from the rest. Let me go and I can lead these people to victory against the Reapers" I said aloud.

I heard a soft rustle behind me. I turned to see Ann standing there. I knew it was a memory for when she spoke, the loud, rumbling voice of Leviathan came out.

"We will release you Shepard but hear this: We will not fight for this war or to help it's multiple species. We will fight for our redemption. For any Reaper that crosses this planet, they will understand our power and become our slaves" Leviathan spoke.

I nodded in relief and slowly felt the feeling of cold leave my body. When I reopened my eyes I found myself still in the mech, facing 3 Leviathan's. Yes, there are 3 of them. The power on the underwater mech was going critical which meant I needed to get up to the surface fast. Without further hesitation, I hit the thrusters and let the mech carry me back to the surface.

I watched through the glass shield as the mech broke the water's surface. I wanted to take a breath of fresh air, but then realized I had opened the hatch yet. Once the mech was on a flat ground I opened the hatch. The air was refreshing once I inhaled it, but it made me immediately go lightheaded. My vision blurred. I let myself fall out of the seat. I landed on my hands and knees. I could hear gunfire coming from my squad which meant enemies were nearby. I tried to stand but my feet gave away underneath me and I collapsed again. I heard the angry growl of a brute. Make that two brutes. I was totally defenceless. I wanted to get out of there, to safety but I couldn't will my body to move. I finally gave up and just laid there on the ship deck, preparing myself for when the brute would crush me.

The moment never came. I heard one of the brutes make a sound, like it was confused. Then I heard a bang and another growl. Were the brutes fighting each other? I couldn't tell but it sure sounded like it. Just then I felt an arm wrap around my waist. I opened my eyes to see Garrus helping me up. Tali was covering him from the brutes. He got me to my feet and helped me back to the shuttle for extraction. The brutes were indeed fighting each other. Leviathan must've taken control of one. Once we reached the shuttle, Garrus carefully laid me down on the floor of the shuttle. I was losing my conscious fast. All I remember before I blacked out was his worried blue eyes looking into mine.

I stirred a little. My conscious was returning. I could vaguely hear Garrus telling me wake up. Suddenly, my eyes flew open and I started coughing like I had swallowed water the wrong way. I felt myself struggling to get a breath in. Garrus grabbed me and pulled me close to him. I clutched his armor like a lifeline.

"You okay?" he asked me.

"I am now" I said once I had enough breath.

"You're freezing" he said.

"I feel fine" I said.

"Well you're still freezing" Garrus said.

I didn't argue with him. I just leaned into his hold and let him warm me, even though the cold feeling wasn't lingering over my body. Tali decided to give us privacy. She stood up and moved over to one of the seats.

"Commander, I got a call from Ann coming in" Cortez announced.

I had to claw my way out of Garrus' grasp. I told him I was fine, but he seemed reluctant to believe me. Eventually he let me go.

"Put her through Lieutenant" I said.

On the screen, Ann appeared before me, looking better after her ordeal with Leviathan controlling her.

"Commander" Ann greeted.

"Ann. How are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm doing much better, thanks. Did you find Leviathan?" she asked.

"We found it Ann. It's real and it's gonna help fight" I told her.

"Sounds like an amazing find Commander. My father would be proud" Ann said.

"A find worth writing into the history books" I said with a smile.

"Well I just wanted to let you know that Hackett had offered me to join him. We all have to do our parts right?" Ann said.

"Take care Ann. And thanks for all your help" I said.

Ann smiled at me before ending the call. I sighed and returned to Garrus who was still on the floor of the shuttle. He pulled me close once again and held tight. I leaned into him again and just relaxed, feeling glad that the mystery of Leviathan had finally been solved.

Back on the Normandy, Garrus insisted that I go see Chakwas to make sure everything was okay. I assured him I was fine but he kept pushing me until I finally said yes. He walked me to the med-bay where Chakwas did a quick scan with her omni-tool.

"You are showing a few signs of hypothermia. I suggest a little bed rest. You'll be fine tomorrow" Chakwas said.

"Alright doc. Thanks for the check up" I said.

"Anytime Shepard" Chakwas replied.

Outside the med-bay, Garrus gave me a disapproving look. I raised a brow at him.

"What?" I asked.

"I told you so" he said.

I playfully pushed him "Yeah yeah. It's not bad. I just need a little rest".

"I'm coming with you" he said.

I held out my hand and he took it. We walked into the elevator together. I keyed the deck number of my cabin.

"Promise me you'll never to that again. I thought I lost you" Garrus said softly.

"You know me Garrus. I'm a danger magnet. But for you, I'll try" I assured him.

His kissed me gently on the lips as a reply. I smiled. Once the elevator reached my cabin, I lead him inside. We undressed and lay together under the covers of my bed. He was warm against my skin. Before dozing off, it occurred to me how much I missed the feeling of warmth.


	8. Gift Giving

Downtime

Chapter 8: Gift Giving

_Normandy SR-2, traveling between systems_

I always liked to bring joy to my crew whenever I could. By Earth time, it was Christmas. I wanted to celebrate this holiday with my crew since it could be our last. I took the time to explain the purpose of the holiday to my alien crew members. To my surprise, most of them had heard of it, but I still wanted to elaborate a bit more on the subject. I informed them I would be getting a gift for everyone. They didn't have to get me anything in return, but if they did that would be welcome. So not long after I'd helped Aria take back Omega, I set a course for the Citadel, and started looking for gifts that I could give to my friends.

I wrote down a few ideas' that could help me search. Most of my crew just wanted an upgrade that they did have the money for or a simple trinket. Nothing overly huge that would cost me a fortune. I had a few ideas in mind for the people that gave me no suggestion. The only member I couldn't think of a gift for was Javik. What the hell do you give a Prothean? It ended up not being very important because Javik insisted he didn't want anything. I had a feeling too that if I did get him something, he'd just toss it out the airlock. At least the rest of my crew had been reasonable and given me what little suggestion they had.

On the Citadel, I headed to the most popular wards that held the most stores. When I arrived, I didn't know where to start. I had been in the military all my life. Hell I was born in space. My parents were always on tour, we never really got to celebrate the holidays. Life was hard on an active ship. I shrugged and figured I'd be the first to celebrate on my ship. I think my crew deserved a little break. I started with the crew that wanted mods for their guns. The first store I spotted that sold mods had everything I needed there. I bought those and moved on. The next store I went to was for James and Cortez. I remember hearing them argue in the shuttle bay about the lack of decent tequila on the Normandy. So I went in search of the best tequila I could find. I figured it could be a joint gift and they could share it just among themselves. After careful searching I found the liquor and crossed it off my list.

A couple hours later, I found almost everything on my list. I was only missing one person. Traynor. I still hadn't found a gift for her. She hadn't given me any suggestions. She joked about getting her a real chess board that we could put in the lounge so we could play more often but when I told her I'd keep an eye out, she brushed the offer away saying it would be too expensive. I figured I might as well try and find one. The GUI interface she had picked up wasn't cutting it.

I searched the stores, looking for something suitable for Traynor. I had about an hour left before I needed to return to the ship. I had to work fast. My eyes finally came upon a store that sold trinkets of all kinds. Kind of like the cheap dollar stores back on Earth but just a tad more expensive. I went inside, hoping to find something. No chess board. No upgrade that could be on importance to her. I sighed, feeling somewhat defeated. But just when I was about to leave, something caught my eye. It was the last one, on sale too. 5,800$ credits. It would use up the rest of budget too. I took it. It was something Samantha had mentioned when we first met. I figured it was the best gift I could get for her. So I bought it, and returned to the Normandy.

I didn't bother wrapping the gifts. I just brought them around to the respected people on the ship. I started in the shuttle bay, giving James the tequila. He couldn't believe I'd gotten him this. I told him to be nice and share it with Cortez. He told me would and thanked me with a light punch in the arm.

The next place was Engineering. I had gotten Tali a mod for her shotgun, one that she had wanted forever. She thanked me by throwing her arms around me. I hugged back, smiling. Tali got me a small gift too. It was tea. The finest tea imported from Earth. I was huge tea lover and Tali knew that. I gave her another hug and thanked her before leaving to the crew deck.

I went to Kaidan first. I searched high a low for his gift but I knew he'd like it. I got him the best Canadian lager I could find on the Citadel. He almost didn't want to accept it but I told him he deserved it. Kaidan thanked me and wished me a Merry Christmas. I smiled at him before I left.

I got Liara a starting kit for books. I knew she wanted to write a book with Javik and to her surprise the Prothean had agreed to write it with her. Liara was overjoyed. She apologized, saying she couldn't find the time to get a gift. I assured her, telling her it was alright. As long as Liara was happy, I was happy.

I headed down to the main battery next. Garrus was patiently waiting for me. I got him a mod for his sniper rifle, one that I heard him talking about all the time in combat. He told me he'd seen that coming, but none the less thanked me for it. He'd gotten me a gift too. Garrus handed me a small white box. I opened it slowly. Inside was a beautiful sapphire necklace. I was in shock. It was perfect. I thanked him with a kiss and told him I'd put it on later.

At the CIC I headed to the bridge. I gave EDI and Joker a joint gift. It was a book on humor. 600 pages just about jokes and humor about all different topics. I hoped this could help with their relationship.

Last but not least, I headed to Traynor to give her the gift.

"Oh you did get me something" Traynor said, surprised.

"Of course. I'm not gonna forget about you" I said.

I handed Traynor the small box that held her gift. She looked at it like she'd never seen it before. I gave her a signal to open it. Carefully she lifted off the lid.

"You got me a toothbrush?" Traynor said plainly.

I smiled "Not just any toothbrush".

It Traynor a second to realize what I'd bought. When it dawned on her, a huge smile spread across her face.

"You got me a Cision Pro-mark 4 toothbrush" Traynor said.

"Yep. It was on sale too. Got it for 5,800 instead of 6,000" I said.

"I...don't know what to say. Thank you doesn't seem to cut it" Traynor said.

"That's all I need to hear. As long as you appreciate it" I said.

"I do. A lot. Thank you so much Commander" Traynor said softly.

"You're very welcome Traynor. Have a good Christmas".

**A/N: I hope my readers also had a good Christmas!**


	9. Anger and Sorrow

Downtime

Chapter 9: Anger and Sorrow

_Normandy SR-2, Thessia_

Another homeworld was lost. It was gone before we even arrived which made it even worse. The whole crew was baring sympathy to Liara. Yes, we lost Thessia today. We were also defeated by Cerberus which pissed me off.

_Damn you Kai Leng_ I thought. _Damn you Cerberus_.

They stole the data on the Catalyst away from us which means we won't be able to finish the Crucible. I admit I felt like giving up. I just wanted to lie down and wait until even last species had been harvested by the Reapers. But I couldn't let one battle stop me from saving the galaxy. So I sucked it up and swore revenge. I was going to end that bastard's life once and for all. We will finish the Crucible and we _will_ defeat the Reapers.

Traynor was able to track Kai Leng's ship through the relay until its signal disappeared in the Iera system. Traynor told me it was being actively blocked by something and told me it was worth checking out. The only thing the Iera system held was Sanctuary, set up on the planet Horizon. Sanctuary is a safe house for war refugees. I figured it couldn't hurt and it was probably our best lead at the moment. I set a course to Sanctuary.

Even though we had a lead on Cerberus, that still didn't change my mood, or anybody else's mood. Liara was still in tears, I was still pissed and the rest of the crew was either silent or worried about Liara. I went around the ship, talking to my crew. I found Tali in front of the memorial wall. She told me it wasn't my fault about Thessia falling. Then she gave me support when I told her I couldn't do this anymore. I couldn't have asked for a better friend.

Garrus did his best to cheer me up. He knew this war had been hard on me from day one. He just held me close, like he was afraid to lose me. I leaned into his grasp and closed my eyes briefly. He was the one person in the world who could give me peace of mind. I loved him for that.

In Engineering I found Kaidan talking to Adams. They were discussing about Liara and how they've never seen her like this before. It's true. After Noveria when Liara's mother, Benezia, was killed she didn't shed a tear. But today was different. They'd never seen Liara in a state like this. _I'd_ never seen Liara in a state like this. Liara wasn't in her cabin upstairs but I heard whispers around the ship that she'd gone down to Engineering to 'chat' with Javik. I didn't think that would end or even begin with peace so I had to investigate.

Sure enough, Liara was yelling at Javik. Her skin glowed with the faint aura of biotics which meant she was mad. Her voice was raised and she had a angered look on her face. Javik had his voiced raised as well but his expression was calm and put together. He wasn't breaking like Liara. Why would he? Just before Liara was about to toss his across the room with her biotics, I interfered.

"My home was just destroyed! And all he can do is _gloat!_" Liara cried.

"Given what's happen here today I think you own Liara an apology Javik" I said sternly.

"Apologize for the truth?" Javik spat.

"For not doing more. You're a prothean! You were supposed to have all the answers! How could you not stop this from happening?!" Liara said, voice wavering.

Javik went into a small explanation about why his people didn't stop this. He said they believed they would because they saw potential in all the races. We were the best hope for the cycle so they guided us when necessary.

"Your world may have fallen, but as long as one single asari is left standing, the fight isn't over" Javik said sincerely.

"I guess that goes for prothean's too" Liara whispered.

"Despair is the enemy's greatest weapon. Don't let them wield it...Liara T'Soni" Javik said.

I saw Liara give Javik the faintest of a smile before she turned around and left. Javik told me he meant what he said about Liara. I was surprised by that and thanked him for it. I walked out of his room and headed for Liara's cabin.

I knew why Liara was mad. On Thessia we had discovered a prothean beacon. Liara couldn't believe her people had been hiding this. Javik was there with us. He started telling Liara that even her religion about the Goddess Athame was a lie. The protheans had been watching over the asari the whole time. Athame was them. We found the data on the Catatlyst there but then Cerberus attacked and destroyed the temple, taking the data with them. Like I said before, I swore revenge. I was getting that data, no matter the cost.

I returned to deck three and headed to Liara's cabin. I stood outside her door briefly. I considered knocking. I didn't want to intrude but I figured the only thing she would be doing right now would be mourning the loss of her home. I entered slowly. I found Liara straight ahead of me, sitting on her bed, head down and soft sniffles filling the room. I approached her.

"How did this happen Shepard?" she said through tears. "My entire civilization, the asari's history. The prothean's made it a lie all along. And I abandoned my people, to hunt for the Catalyst".

I came over and sat down on the edge of Liara's bed. She looked at me. Her eyes were starting to turn pink from the crying. What tears she had already shed had ruined her eye make-up. Some of the tears that rolled down her cheeks were black. I beckoned her over into a hug. All I did was hold her. She buried her face into shoulder and let out soft wails.

"_Shhh_" I whispered. "Just let it out".

Her hands gripped my back. I felt her rub her face on my shoulder. I didn't care. I stroked my hand across her back gently and continued to _shh_ her until the wails died down. When I looked her in the eye again, her makeup was smudged and her eyes were bright red.

"Liara. You had nothing to do with the attack on Thessia" I said softly.

Liara looked at me like I'd gone mad. She stood up in a fury and looked at me with hatred.

"Nothing to do with it? I told those people we'd save them! How many asari died because I demanded-" I cut her off.

"No one" I said standing up as well.

"Shepard that isn't true!" Liara cried.

"You've been warning your people for 4 years Liara. There's not a damn thing you should feel guilty about. If we move fast enough we'll have a chance to rebuild. We lost Thessia today, but we haven't lost the asari yet" I explained.

Liara looked down at the floor. Her expression changed as if she was thinking about something. When she looked back at me, he face read she had renewed confidence. She walked over to her terminal.

"Helping the refugees. That's something I can do. It's something I owe them" Liara said hastily.

"I knew you'd think of something" I said, pleased that she was feeling a little bit better.

"Thank you Shepard" she whispered before I left.

I let Liara do her work alone. She needed that time right now. I headed up to my cabin to let myself cool off before we arrived at Sanctuary. It was time to make Cerberus pay for all that they'd done in this war. I needed to end them for good.


	10. Find Me

**A/N: Well this is the last chapter for Downtime. I wanted to thank anyone who favourited or reviewed. I know there's not many of you but might as well give you a shout out. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed!**

Downtime

Chapter 10: Find Me

_Earth_

I couldn't move. Well I suppose I could move, I just didn't want too. Everything hurt. It was unbelievable pain. I was sure almost every bone in my body was shattered. I defiantly had internal bleeding, not to mention the exterior bleeding as well. I had horrible burns from Harbinger's laser. My armor was melted into my skin. I was a gruesome sight. But somehow, I was alive.

I wanted to die.

But at the same time, I didn't want too. I had just destroyed the Reapers. It was over. The war was_ finally_ over. Unfortunately, destroying the Reapers wiped out all other synthetics, including the geth. Even after I worked so hard to get them to cooperate with the quarians, the Crucible had to destroy them. That's why I couldn't die. I needed to make it up to anyone that I had failed. I needed to help rebuild this galaxy even though I had saved it three times over. It was still my home, _everybody's home_.

I also needed to let someone know that I hadn't disobeyed his order. That I was coming back alive and then we could retire from the military and live our lives out on some secluded beach. It was a dream, _a life_ I wanted to fight for. But in order to live in that dream, I had to survive. I needed to grasp the little thread of life dangling in front of me and hang on until somebody found me and saved me. Slowly nursed me back to health until the pain stopped. I owed _him _that much.

I was absolutely flabbergasted that my omni-tool had survived. My armor had practically been burned into my skin. I was surprised to find it working. It just had low power. I guess the Crucible didn't target this sort of technology. It took all my willpower to lift one arm to the keypad on my omni-tool. I typed slowly, about 2 letters every minute. It was painful but I had to. I gritted my teeth through the pain. On my other arm, I clenched my fingers into a fist. My message was short but explained a lot.

_Garrus,_

_I'm alive. Find me._

_Shepard._

I sent the message and dropped both of my arms. My muscles screamed at me. I coughed and blood splattered over my lips and face. I looked toward the sky. I remembered the sky being cloudy, rain started to fall once I had arrived at the beam. Now the clouds had parted and sunlight was creeping through. It was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. I closed my eyes and smiled, then winced when I discovered it hurt to smile as well. Garrus needed to get here soon. The thread was about to break.

_Garrus' POV_

The message was all the evidence I needed to return to Earth. I knew she was still alive. I wasn't going to put her name up on that damned memorial wall without knowing if was alive or dead. But now I knew for certain. She was alive.

_I'm alive. Find me._

I read those words with her voice in my head. I knew she was fading. She didn't have much time left. We had to hurry. I ordered Joker to head straight to the Sol system once we had enough systems online. I busied myself with repairs as well. Whatever Shepard had done though, worked. The Crucible fired and killed all the Reapers instantly. But it also affected other synthetics. EDI shut down after it fired and Tali got a message from Shala'Raan a couple minutes after the Crucible fired. Apparently most of the geth who stayed behind on Rannoch randomly shut down. They had a few of their engineers trying to reactivate them. But that was significant compared to the fact that Shepard had destroyed the Reapers. I was looking foward to seeing what peace looked like.

It took about an hour to finally get systems operational. I did my best to stay focused, but that fact that Shepard was alive was eating away at me. She could have died in the hour it took us to get the systems going. I put that thought out of my head later. I couldn't be negative. I had to be optimistic right now. Shepard had beaten the odds before. She would do anything in her power to survive. I gave her an order. And Shepard doesn't disobey her orders. Joker gave me an ETA to Earth. About 45 minutes. To our luck, the planet we crashed on wasn't far from Earth. The sooner the better was all I could say to him.

I found myself pacing the mess hall. Tali was sitting at the table watching me. If I had to guess, her expression would say she was worried but I didn't care about what people thought. They all know by now that Shepard is the most important being in my life. I'd do anything to get her back.

"Garrus" Tali said.

I ignored her and kept pacing.

"Garrus listen to me" Tali said, a pleading sense in her voice.

I stopped and faced her. Her white eyes through her purple mask stared at me briefly before she spoke.

"Pacing around isn't going to make the ship go any faster. And you're making me nervous by doing that. Can you please sit down?" Tali asked.

I let out a sigh and gave in to her request. I sat across from her at the table. She nodded at me in appreciation. I had to fight with myself not to fidget at the table. That would upset her even more.

"I'll help you" Tali said.

I looked at her "With what?"

"Looking for Shepard. You and I were the last ones who saw her before she called in evac from the beam" Tali said.

"Yeah. Do you think that's where we should start? Over in that general area? I doubt she's still on the Citadel." I asked to Tali.

"I think we should. I can't think of anywhere else she could be" Tali agreed.

I thought back to when I last saw Shepard. We were running towards the beam. Shepard was in the lead. Tali and I were right on her six. A menacing Harbinger was shooting anything that moved. A few times Shepard came close to his laser but thank the spirits she dodged them in time. We had almost made in when a Mako came flying at us. I evaded a little too late and injured myself. Tali was a little beat up herself. Shepard always does her best to make sure her crew gets out safely. She called in the Normandy to evacuate us. She helped me limp back to the ship before passing me over to Tali. I remembered the short conversation we had before she threw herself into the fire. Alone.

"_You gotta get out of here!" She cried._

"_And you've got to be kidding me" I argued._

"_Don't argue Garrus" She warned._

"_We're in this till the end" I told her._

"_No matter what happens here...You know I love you. I always will" She said softly._

I remember my heart racing at her words. I grabbed her hand that rested on my cheek. I didn't want to let go because part of me knew I wasn't going to see her again. So I told her. The words that took me forever to say, I just couldn't decide when. I figured it was as good a time as any to say them.

"_Shepard...I...love you too"._

The smile she gave me was unforgettable. I knew she was pleased with my answer. Then she left. Running off towards the beam. Tali had to literally drag me inside the shuttle bay. I didn't want to leave her, but I had too. The bay closed and the Normandy flew away, out into space. And we left Shepard down there, alone. I would regret that.

"Garrus? Garrus answer me" I heard a worried voice say.

I looked over to see Tali staring at me, her eyes full of worry behind the mask.

"What?" I asked.

"You wouldn't answer me at all. I thought something had happened" Tali said.

"Sorry I guess I zoned out for a bit. I've got a lot on my mind" I said, hoping that was enough reassurance.

Tali crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair again. She was about to say something, but Joker interrupted her over the ship's speakers.

"We're about 5 minutes out from Earth, Garrus" Joker said.

"Alright. Head to the beam where we got picked up. We're gonna start searching there" I told him.

"Understood" Joker replied before terminating the link.

I stood up from where I was sitting. I look at Tali.

"Tell everyone to meet in the shuttle bay. We're heading out soon" I said.

Tali activated her omni-tool and typed on a few keys.

"I've sent out a message to everyone. They'll get it" she replied.

"Let's go" I said.

Tali followed me to the elevator. We took it down to the shuttle bay to get our equipment on. I debated whether or not we needed guns or not. All the Reapers were dead so I didn't think so. Still, it didn't hurt to bring a pistol and conceal it. Once everyone had arrived, we all boarded the shuttle. Joker brought us in as close as he could before Cortez launched the shuttle. We flew down to the surface where the beam was located. It wasn't easy finding a place to set the shuttle down. There was debris everywhere. Eventually Cortez settled on a relatively clear area. Everybody filed out. I didn't have to tell anyone where to look. We just had to find her before time ran out.

_Shepard's POV_

I opened my eyes. I heard the sound of brick and metal being moved. Somebody had arrived and was searching. But what were they searching for? Could it be Garrus? Did they get here already? I couldn't know for certain. I wanted to call out to whoever was searching and tell them I was here, that I was alive. But whatever strength I had, I used it to send that message to Garrus. My muscles had been inactive for too long. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't do it. I just had to hope that they'd find me.

After a while, it sounded like the people were getting closer. I didn't have to strain to listen to their voices anymore. Now I could find out who was really searching. I listened intently, trying to pinpoint where I heard the voices from. Then he spoke. That ever so familiar flanged voice that was the reason I fell in love with him. It had to be him. I was sure of that. I spoke his name but it came out as a mangled cough. I tried again, a little louder.

"..arrus" I forced out. The voices around me went silent.

"Garrus. I'm...here" I said, a bit louder.

Footsteps pounded over. He must've heard me. All of the sudden a figure loomed over me, blocking out the sun. I squinted my eyes but I couldn't make out the face until they kneeled down beside me.

"Shepard?" I heard him say, as if he couldn't believe it.

"You're blocking my sun" I said softly.

"Spirits Shepard. You're...alive" he said, relief filling his voice.

"I had orders" I said, voice a little shaky.

This was defiantly Garrus. _My Garrus_. I heard him shift a little as he slowly raised me from the ground. I felt completely ragdoll in his grasp. He lifted me up just a little, supporting my back with an arm. He pressed his forehead to the side of my head.

"You have no idea how happy I am right now" he whispered into my ear.

"You have no idea how glad I am to see you" I said.

"I found you" he said.

"Yes. You found me. And you're never letting go" I said, tears filling my eyes.

"Never again" Garrus said sternly.

The rest of crew had gathered around us. Many of them were crying or had relief written all over their faces. They were so glad to see me. I shared that feeling with them.

"I love you Shepard" Garrus whispered to me softly.

Tears rolled down me cheek as I spoke "I love you too. I love you so much".

It was over. Finally we could live our lives in peace. Something I never thought could exist in this galaxy. But even right now, we were living in peace. And I liked it.


End file.

Mass Effect, Friendship, Romance